The Falk Family Blog

The boys swimming skills have come a long way this summer.  Ethan passed the long swimming test at the YMCA on his very first try and now has permission to use the diving boards and swim in the deep water.  Isaac came close to passing, but got tired and couldn’t make it to the end.  Luckily, the pool in Dan and Kari’s neighborhood does not require you to pass a test in order the use the diving board!  This was Isaac’s first jump off a diving board.

I decided it would be a good thing for the boys to play at the lake for an afternoon. After convincing Warren that it was a good idea, I packed everything up and we headed out.  Not knowing what to expect since we had never been to this beach, we learned that the bottom of the beach is very rocky and painful to walk on, an overcast sky and a poor application of sun screen will not protect Warren’s delicate skin from harmful rays, and the boys do not know how to eat snacks without eating sand at the same time.  We played for nearly two hours and then the sky opened up and a big storm came in.  Everything got soaked before we had a chance to get to the car.  Oh well, Warren was happy we had an excuse to leave. :)

The reunion was held in Pigeon Forge, TN again this year. I believe there were nearly 70 of us in attendance!

It was sweet listening to Warren’s Grandfather (90+ years old) tell the story of how he came to love Warren’s grandmother (she passed away about 10 years ago).  Something about his old, sweet voice made it special.

Our cul-de-sac got together for our annual July 4th cook-out.

Visiting my sister and her brand new husband in North Carolina was tons of fun! Their neighborhood pool was calling our name as soon as we reached Lisa’s house. Swimming was a great way to release some bottled-up energy after nearly 8 hours on the road.

While driving around the 3 1/2 mile trail at Lazy 5 we experienced domestic and exotic animals including giraffes, buffalo, zebras, cattle, sheep, and many others. We opened the hatch to the van and folded the back seat down. It was perfect! We bought a couple containers of food for the hungry animals. Some even tried to join us in the van (after all, that’s where the food was!)

Nathan and Elise spent an evening in town and we enjoyed a cookout at Dan and Kari’s followed by swimming at their neighborhood pool.

We are back from our annual summer trip to Western NY.  On this particular weekend there was a wedding for a close family friend of Warren’s family. We were able to see my family and also Warren’s family.  A highlight for me was driving around the old places we spent our childhood and showing them to our boys.

It’s always nice to stop in and visit with Pastor and Mrs. Mohl. We were planning to go out on the Lake in the boat, but NY weather changed our plans. Instead, Pastor Mohl and Warren took Ethan and Isaac fishing while Mrs. Mohl, Lincoln, and I stayed nice and warm in the house.

My friend Amber and I took the kids to the zoo on a beautiful summer day.

Our Cul-de-sac enjoyed a cookout over Memorial Day Weekend. One mom made chocolate chip ice-cream sandwiches and they were a big hit with the kids and adults! The kids sat here all in a row without anyone telling them to. I had Warren run home and get the camera (I had a sore back) and I’m so glad I got this picture! I printed a copy for Ethan and Isaac and they have it hanging on their bulletin board.

This is the crew minus 4 babies and one on the way! We’ll have 10 boys and 4 girls. They always have a blast together!

After a good rain the sidewalk near our house collects a HUGE puddle!  The boys were a bit confused when I told them to put their swimming trunks on during the downpour! They had SO much fun.

I found this water/sand table at a garage sale for $10.00! The boys LOVE it!

Melissa and Steve live just 15 minutes from Warren’s parents in Knoxville, but it’s been nearly six years since we have been to their house. Warren’s parents house is the main gathering place. It’s easier for the 8 Eimers’ to load up and visit the rest of the large bunch at Grandma’s place.  But, it was a nice treat this year to have a cook-out at Melissa and Steve’s house. The weather was perfect and the kids had such wonderful time playing together.

Our Family

Due to a busy work-week which included several over-time hours, Warren was given a whole Monday off! The boys were on Spring break so we headed to the Children’s Museum for some fun.

Here, Isaac is sporting his new stick figure t-shirt. He and Ethan recently went through a phase where they loved to draw stick figures and watch videos of stick figures on the computer. They usually used two different colored markers and drew a good guy team and a bad guy team battling it out.

We got our big snow of the season! Warren and the boys shoveled the driveway and put each shovel load into one big pile creating a snow mountain. It has provided lots of entertainment for our boys and some of the neighbor kids too. I’m sure we will be the last house in the cul-de-sac with snow in our yard.